1199SEIU Targets Dems in Congress Who Oppose Healthcare Reform
With the future of healthcare reform legislation hanging in the balance, 1199SEIU on Friday warned Congressional Democrats from New York that the union would scrutinize them in this year’s election campaigns “on their measure of dedication to progressive issues critical to working families and their ability to move those issues forward.”
The union, which played a major role in electing many of these officials, indicated that it would not hesitate to withdraw any future support if the Representatives do not vote for healthcare reform.
The entire 1199SEIU statement, issued on Friday, March 12, follows:
“In 2008, President Obama was elected in a landslide by Americans who supported his progressive agenda and vision of change for this country. The President faced tough challenges and an economic collapse upon entering office and got straight to work.
“While things may have improved for Wall Street, working families on Main Street are still very much in the throes of this recession and much work remains to be done that is critical to turning our country’s future around.
“We finally have a chance to enact real healthcare reform that will achieve affordability, expand access and create a level of accountability in the insurance industry that is long overdue. Millions of Americans and their children are currently uninsured and the numbers increase each day as people lose their jobs and health coverage during this recession.
“Yet some of our Democratic Representatives in Congress have indicated they will not be supporting the interests of middle-class and working families on healthcare reform. They have decided not to support both the President and our Democratic leadership in Congress.
“This is incredibly disappointing. During the closing days of the presidential campaign, President Obama said “the size of our challenges have outgrown the smallness of our politics.” We need elected officials who understand this sentiment and are willing to work with their leadership to move a progressive agenda forward.
“1199SEIU will re-evaluate candidates during this election year with close scrutiny on their measure of dedication to progressive issues critical to working families and their ability to move those issues forward. We cannot continue supporting incumbents who fail to vote with the President and Democratic leadership to advance the interests of working families on issues such as healthcare reform, financial industry regulation and immigration reform.
“Additionally, as a major union affiliate in New York’s Working Families Party, we will present a proposal to the party at its executive committee meeting this Sunday to reassess its standards for endorsement and withdraw support for Democratic elected officials who refuse to vote with their leadership on issues of importance to working families.”
We will urge the party’s executive committee to vote on this proposal and begin discussion on a plan moving forward to identify candidates truly committed to progressive values who the party can support in a Democratic primary or as Working Families Party candidates.